FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT CIVIL AVIATION - PAGE 5

NEW DELHI: Tighten your seat belt and get ready for the big-ticket take-off. Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has initiated a reforms blueprint to open up civil aviation to the private sector in a big way and pave the way for strong growth in aviation infrastructure. Setting up a regulatory mechanism for the sector, encouraging more competition to bring down air fares, catalysing large investments, opening up the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) market monopolised by the public sector, unbundling the Airport Authority of India (AAI)

NEW DELHI: As air traffic grows at Patna airport, also known as the Jaiprakash Narayan Airport , the government is considering moving the facility outside Bihar's capital city to a larger and safer location. According to senior government officials, negotiations are underway between the ministry of civil aviation and the air force to shift the airport from Patna to Bihta, which is a defence airfield 20 km away from the existing facility. However, the new location of the airport seems to have become a bone of contention between the Centre and state governments, as the latter is batting to shift the facility to Nalanda, which is 90 km away from Patna, instead of Bihta.

PANAJI: The Goa cabinet approved the formation of the Directorate of Civil Aviation, a department that would replace the existing Airport Cell . Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters here today that the Directorate of Civil Aviation would regulate all aviation-related issues, immigration, visa-on-arrival as well as other issues. The Dabolim airport and a proposed greenfield airport at Mopa would be regulated by this directorate, he said.

NEW DELHI: Denied boarding despite possessing a confirmed ticket in an Air India flight? You will soon be able to complain to the civil aviation ministry, as the ministry has started the process of appointing an Ombudsman to look into the complaints of consumers and give binding orders. The Union civil aviation minister has asked for an Ombudsman to look into the complaints of people against wings under the ministry like Air India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and Pawan Hans.

GUWAHATI: Union civil aviation ministry will provide air connectivity to remote areas of Northeast India. Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ajit Singh said that the Government is in the process of providing air connectivity to remote and interior areas of the country including the North Eastern Region and Tier II and Tier III cities. The new policy instrument in the form of Route Dispersal Guidelines is under consideration. It includes creation of Essential Air Services Fund (EASF)

NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry may be looking to mediate an informal anti-poaching arrangement between airlines even as a shortage of cabin crew and pilots has crippled national carrier Air India's operations in recent times. Minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma on Thursday indicated that he would want airlines to give an informal commitment against poaching cabin crew and pilots from each other. "We will call all the airlines for a meeting on this issue," he told reporters during an informal chat.

NEW DELHI: Newly appointed Minister of State for Civil Aviation , K C Venugopal today held a meeting of Airports Authority of India and reviewed work of the organisation. During the meeting, he was apprised about various AAI projects by its Chairman V P Agarwal and senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry , a statement said. Venugopal took over charge on October 29 and said coordinated efforts were needed by all stakeholders to boost the growth of the sector.

GUWAHATI: The ministry of civil aviation will engage consultant to undertake study on promotion of regional air connectivity. The study will look into the issue of restructuring of Route Dispersal Guidelines . The outcome of the study shall form the basis of a Draft Policy Framework on the subject. The consultant will bring out the role of regional air connectivity in India and identify the factors that are inhibiting the growth of regional air connectivity in different parts of the country which shall include economic, commercial, technical, infrastructure, policy and regulatory constraints.

NEW DELHI: The model code of conduct has put the brakes on the civil aviation ministry's plan to privatise six major airports including Chennai and Kolkata, a top official of the ministry of civil aviation said on Thursday. Speaking at the sidelines of a CII Event, civil aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa said that the Election Commission has told the ministry to stop the privatisation of the airports. "The privatisation will now be taken up post elections," he added.

NEW DELHI: The Government today said it expected that air passenger traffic would witness an increase from over 143 million passengers in the year 2010-11 to over 293.48 million in 2017-18. "It is estimated that the passenger traffic will increase from 143.43 million in 2010-11 to 293.48 million in 2017-18," Civil Aviation minister Ajit Singh said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha . "As per the projections of the 12th Five Year Plan , an investment of Rs 67,500 crore had been envisaged for development of airport infrastructure at existing airports as well as the development of new Greenfield airports," Singh said.